Alcohol counselling

Getting expert help with your drinking problem

From many years of helping people who have problems with alcohol, I have learned that the most positive approach is to focus on what’s really important – the present and the future.

Of course there may be reasons why you drink, so it is always useful to start there. Once we know a bit more about why you are drinking we can then begin to build a recovery programme that suits you and your circumstances. Not all people with drinking problems are the same and you are no different, so whilst I can tell you what has worked best for other people, we can discuss a variety of techniques and find what plan will work best for you and will give the best chance of success.

I offer alcohol counselling in a number of set packages which you can choose from, depending on the amount of time you feel you need to rebuild a life without alcohol.

What to expect from an alcohol counselling package

Many of my clients prefer to know what to expect and how long it will take. I have found this often works better than a flexible approach. That way we can agree goals for you to achieve as you make progress.

I offer only sensible advice based on years of experience, and can suggest specific strategies and skills that have worked for others to keep you alcohol free. I can provide you with information on how regular heavy drinking can cause a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, and the best ways of resolving them. My clinical experience also means I can give you sound advice on what is medically safe to do.

Whichever package you choose I will concentrate on building a rapport with you, finding out why alcohol has become a problem and planning how to stop drinking and stay stopped. I aim to build confidence in your new alcohol-free lifestyle so that you feel safe from relapse and can identify your strengths and use them to your advantage.

We also look at the thoughts and feelings that trigger drinking and identify high risk situations and how to avoid them. Should you relapse we can discuss the reasons behind it and how to avoid it happening again.

Finally it’s important to know that you don’t have to have counselling if you have a detox from me and vice versa. It's your decision.

Counselling Plans are as follows:

  • PLAN A: One-off assessment, counselling & planning session for you (and your partner) - usually about 2 - 3 hours.
  • PLAN B: One-off assessment, counselling & planning session as above, plus email & telephone follow-up.
  • PLAN C: Assessment, counselling & planning session as above, with 4 follow up / monitoring appointments & email & telephone follow-up.
  • PLAN D: 6 sessions counselling. Can be extended in 6 session blocks. Discounted rates if paid for in advance.
  • PLAN E: 'Pay-as-you-go', taking things session by session
  • PLAN F: If you have received a detox from me, then we can agree a follow-up package that suits you at discounted rates.

Don't worry if you're confused by these different packages, or if you're not sure what's best for you - we can clarify things if you ring me for a no obligation chat.